Display system and method of display for supporting multiple display modes

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a display system that is comprised of a display, at least one background screen control sensor and a background screen control component. The display includes a display screen for operating in at least a first background screen mode and a second background screen mode. The at least one background control sensor for sensing interaction with the display. The background screen control component processes background control sensor data from the at least one sensor, wherein based on the background control sensor data a determination is made whether a background screen control condition has been met, wherein responsive to the determination that the background screen control condition has been met, the background of the display screen is changed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This case is a continuation in part of the case entitled “An AugmentedReality Display System and Method of Display” filed on Oct. 22, 2010,having serial number PCT/US2010/053860, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety. In addition this case is related to the caseentitled “Display System and Method of Displaying Based on DeviceInteractions” filed on Oct. 29, 2010, having Ser. No. 12/915,311, whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

A wide variety of displays for computer systems are available. Oftendisplay systems display content on an opaque background screen. However,systems are available which display content on a transparent backgroundscreen. There is software available which recognizes the rotation ofdisplay screen. This software can present content differently dependenton the viewing angles and user interface orientations dependent upon howthe user is holding or has rotated a display. There are also displaysfor some computer systems that allow the display screen to be movedbetween a position into a second position which allows writing on thedisplay screen surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The figures depict implementations/embodiments of the invention and notthe invention itself. Some embodiments are described, by way of example,with respect to the following Figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a front view of a display screenin an display system with an object positioned behind the display screenaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A shows a side perspective view of a desktop version of an displaysystem with the display screen operating in an opaque operational modewhere the display screen is positioned in a substantially verticalposition according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2B shows aside perspective view of a desktop version of an displaysystem with the display screen operating in a transparent operationalmode where the display screen is positioned in a second positionaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a back perspective view of the display system shown in FIG.1 according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a method of display according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a computer system for implementing the method shown in FIG.4 and described in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

The drawings referred to in this Brief Description should not beunderstood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of theembodiments are described by referring mainly to examples thereof. Inthe following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will beapparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art, that theembodiments may be practiced without limitation to these specificdetails. Also, different embodiments may be used together. In someinstances, well known methods and structures have not been described indetail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the description of theembodiments.

The present invention describes a display system 100, the display system100 comprising: a display 110, the display 110 including a displayscreen 112 for operating in at least a first background screen mode anda second background screen mode; at least one sensor 114 for sensinginteraction with the display 110; and a background screen controlcomponent 118 for processing information from the at least one sensor114, wherein based on the background screen control sensor data 132 fromthe at least one background screen control sensor 114 a determination ismade whether a background screen control condition 136 has been met,wherein responsive to the determination that the background screencontrol condition 136 has been met, the background of the display screen112 is changed.

In one example, the display screen background switches between a firstopaque background and a second transparent background, Switching of thebackground screens is controlled by predefined background screen controlconditions 136 defined in the background screen control component, Thebackground screen of the display can be changed based on system or usercontrolled instructions or automatically based on common usageassumptions. The common usage instructions are defined in the backgroundscreen control component 118 as background screen control conditions136. The background control sensor data 132 gathered by the at least onebackground screen control sensor is tested to see if the backgroundcontrol conditions 136 are met. Responsive to whether the backgroundscreen control conditions 136 are met, the display system determines thedisplay screen background that is output.

In one embodiment, the predefined common usage assumption is that whenthe user changes the position of the display screen, the user wants tochange the operational mode and correspondingly change the displayscreen to the background screen associated with the operational mode.For example in one embodiment, the user may wish to change from aviewing mode where the display screen background is opaque to a“thru-screen” mode, a mode where the display screen background screen istransparent and objects can be viewed “thru” the transparent displayscreen. Details regarding a transparent thru-screen type display systemand interacting with an object or device positioned behind the displayscreen is described in more detail in the pending patent applicationsentitled “An Augmented Reality Display System and Method of Display”filed on Oct. 22, 2010, having serial number PCT/US2010/053860 and thecase entitled “Display System and Method of Displaying Based on DeviceInteractions” filed on Oct. 29, 2010, having Ser. No. 12/915,311, whichare both hereby incorporated by reference in it's entirety.

In another alternative embodiment, the predefined common usageassumption is that when the user moves an object behind the displayscreen, the user wants to change the operational mode. For example, ifthe user is in the viewing mode (with an opaque display screenbackground) and moves an object behind the display screen, the commonusage assumption is that the user wants to use the system in thethru-screen operational mode and that the display screen should betransparent.

Referring to FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a front view of a displayscreen in a display system according to an embodiment of the invention.The display system includes a display screen 112 for displaying contenton a background screen. In one embodiment, the display screen 112 iscapable of operating either in at least a first mode (with an opaquebackground screen) and a second mode (with a transparent backgroundscreen). Switching between the two modes can be controlled by (1) systemor user instructions to the display system or (2) automatically based oncommon usage assumptions predefined in the background screen controlcomponent.

In the viewing mode, the background screen is preferably opaque. Anopaque background provides greater contrast so that person viewing thescreen can more easily see the content. Thus an opaque background ispreferable as viewing conditions for the user can be easilyoptimized—the opaque background screen and content displayed on theopaque background screen can be chosen to provide optimal contrast tomake viewing the content easier by the user. However, a transparentbackground screen allows the user to interact with an object or devicepositioned behind the screen. In the thru-screen operational mode, atransparent screen is necessary so that the user can see through thedisplay screen so that the user can interact with an object positionedbehind the display screen.

Different screen materials may be used to provide the transparentdisplay screen 112. In one embodiment, the transparent display screen isa transparent OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen. In analternative embodiment, the display screen is comprised of transparentLCDs (liquid crystal display). However, the transparent LCD screenimplementation assumes a well lit working environment. In a thirdalternative embodiment, the display screen is comprised of a partiallydiffusing material and the content is projected onto the partiallydiffusing material. Although many alternative implementations arepossible, the transparent display screen operates so that objectspositioned behind the display screen can be easily seen or viewed by auser positioned in front of the display screen.

As previously described, in one embodiment the display screen 112 iscapable of switching between a first opaque display mode and a secondtransparent display mode. For example, in the first opaque backgroundscreen display mode—the background screen upon which content isdisplayed would be opaque. Similarly, in the second transparentbackground screen display mode—the background screen upon which contentis displayed would be transparent. A display screen capable of switchingbetween two modes could be implemented in one embodiment as atransparent OLED screen with a liquid crystal shutter positioned behindthe OLED screen. In a first mode the display screen would appear to beopaque (liquid crystal shutter behind the display screen closed) for useas a conventional display. In a second mode the transparent LED screenwould be transparent (liquid crystal shutter open).

Background screen control conditions 136 are predefined based on commonusage assumptions. Consider the common usage condition of a transparentscreen in a first position, then in one embodiment, background controlsensor or sensors 114 coupled to a display stands hinge(s) 128 would beused to sense when the display screen 112 moves to a first position. Byusing information or data 132 gathered from the at least one backgroundcontrol sensor, the display system 100 can determine whether abackground control condition has been met.

The at least one background control sensor 114 senses an interactionwith the display. The display 110 includes a display stand 157 forsupporting the display screen on a surface 155. In one embodiment, forexample, the at least one sensor is a sensor coupled to the hinge 128 ofthe display stand. When an interaction occurs (user physically movingthe display screen), the sensed information is used to determine whethera background screen control condition has been met. For example, if thebackground screen control condition is the hinge moving to a secondposition, when this condition is met—the background of the displayscreen is changed.

If a common usage condition has occurred, the display system 100automatically controls the display screen's background to correlate itto the defined display screen operational mode. In one embodiment, thebackground screen control component 118 controls the display screen 112to automate displaying the desired background screen, without requiringuser input to specify the background screen or a change in thebackground screen. Having the display system 100 automatically react tothese common usage event triggers, saves the user time and effort andcreates a more natural user interface.

The display system 110 changes the screen background based on sensedinformation from the at least one background control. In one embodiment,the at least one background control sensor 114 detects the movement ofthe display screen hinge(s) 128 to a predefined position oralternatively through a certain range of motion. In another embodiment,the sensor 114 detect the a user held device or other object that theuser is manipulating in the capture range behind the back surface of thedisplay screen.

The type of sensor used in the display system depends on the type ofinteraction that the background control sensor 114 is required to senseor detect. Examples of the types of interactions that the at least onebackground control sensor might sense include, but are not limited to,the examples of: sensing a change in the position of the display screen,display stand or hinges of the display stand, sensing an object placedbehind the display screen, sensing touch on the back surface of thedisplay screen, and sensing an electrical connection made to the displaysystem.

In one embodiment, more than one background control sensor 114 or morethan one type of background control sensors is used. For example, forthe case where a single sensor does not cover the desired range behindthe display screen, multiple sensors of the same type with overlappingcapture regions might be positioned at different points along the bezel154 of the display screen to expand the capture range of the backgroundcontrol sensors. In another embodiment, more than one type of backgroundcontrol sensor might be used to provide additional verification thatthat a triggered or sensed event has occurred. For example in oneembodiment, when in the transparent mode, an object 120 positionedbehind the screen might be identified using two types of backgroundcontrol sensors. For example, both a motion detection sensor (to detectan object positioned behind screen) and a depth camera or other imagecapture device (to identify an object positioned behind the screen)might be used to detect an object positioned behind the back surface ofthe display screen.

The at least one background control sensor senses interaction with thedisplay. In one embodiment, the interaction is a user interaction thatis instigated or initiated by the physical actions of a user. Forexample, in one embodiment the interaction sensed is the physicalmovement of the display screen from a first position to a secondposition. In another embodiment, the interaction sensed is the physicalmovement of an object in the capture region behind the display screen.Thus, interaction with the display includes physical movements where theuser is not physically touching the display itself, but where hisphysical movements are captured by the display—in this case captured bythe sensors on the back surface of the display frame.

Referring to FIG. 1 shows at least one background screen control sensor,for example coupled to the hinge mechanism of the display stand. Data132 from the background control sensor is input to background screencontrol component 118 for use in determining the background that is usedand displayed by the display generation component 126. In oneembodiment, the display generation component controls the content outputto the display and the background screen displayed on the displayscreen.

FIG. 1 also shows data from a viewpoint assessment sensors 140 a, 140 band object tracking sensors 148 a, 148 b that input information into thedisplay controller component 130 for use by the display generationcomponent 126. In the embodiment shown, the background screen controlsensor 114 is a separate sensor from the viewpoint assessment sensorsand object tracking sensors used in the display system. However, in analternative embodiment, one sensor type (for example, viewpointassessment sensors or object tracking sensors) could be used to sensedata for another sensor type (for example, the background screen controlsensor). For example, for the case where an object's positioned behindthe back surface of the display screen—a depth camera could be used bothto perform the function required by the background control sensor andthe object tracking sensor function. In other words, depth camera datacould be used to determine whether an object was positioned behind thescreen (the background control sensor condition) and the location of theobject (the object tracking sensor function) . In this case, a singlesensor might provide the data required—though the data gathered might betested or processed differently dependent upon the requirements for thesensor.

In one embodiment, the display system is capable of switching between afirst opaque background screen mode and a second transparent backgroundmode. If it is desirable for the background screen to change betweenopaque and transparent background screens based on the position of thedisplay screen—the background screen control sensors would measureconditions regarding the position of the display screen. Based onwhether the predefined conditions occurred (i.e. display screen atcertain angle relative to stand base, etc.), the background screen wouldchange or remain static.

In one embodiment, switching between operational modes (and theircorresponding opaque and transparent background screens) is controlledby moving the display screen from a first screen position to a secondscreen position. To further illustrate the example above, refer to thedisplay systems shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A shows a side view of adesktop version of a display system with the display screen positionedin a first position—a position substantially vertical to the surface thedisplay stand is resting on. For purposes of discussion only, assume theembodiments discussed with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B operate in theviewing mode when in the first position (opaque screen) and thethru-screen mode (transparent screen) in the second position.

Referring to FIG. 23 shows a side view of a desktop version of the samedisplay system with the display screen in a second position. Compared tothe first position shown in FIG. 2A, the second position shown in FIG.2B is more horizontal to the surface that the display stand is restingon. Referring to the xyz reference axis shown, the angle of the displayscreen in the first position shown in FIG. 2A is substantially verticalor at approximately 90 degree to the positive x axis, while the angle ofthe display screen in the second position shown in FIG. 23 is at anacute angle, say for purposes of example at an angle of approximately 75degrees relative to the positive x axis. In one example, the firstand/or second positions are at a defined angle, however, more commonlythe first and second positions are defined within a range of angles. Forexample, it is common for a user to move the display screen of a laptopor desktop monitor to a position that is at an acute angle to thereferenced positive axis. For example, the vertical range of the displayscreen might be between 80 and 95 degrees relative to the positive xaxis for the first position. However, in one embodiment, whatever theangle range—the second position relative to the first viewing positionhas a smaller acute angle range. This smaller acute angle range occursin the thru-screen mode as it is desirable to have additional roombehind the screen to position an object behind the screen to interactwith the object. To achieve this additional space, the user pulls thedisplay screen out and angles the screen at a smaller acute angle rangecompared to the display screen first position.

In one embodiment, the background screen control sensors detect themovement of the hinges with respect to the display stand. For this case,the background control sensor 114 used when the display screen or objectthat is effected by, coupled to or is part of the display (for example,the hinge) reaches a predefined position. In an alternative embodiment,the background screen control sensors should sense the movement of thedisplay hinges as it moves through a predefined range of motion. In oneembodiment, background screen control sensors are coupled to or embeddedin the hinges to determine whether so we know when the hinges are in alocked up or locked down position. In one example, the sensors coupledto the hinges are accelerometers that detect the motion of the hinges.In another alternative embodiment, the sensors are electrical componentsor devices, (i.e., a Hall effect device), which detect closing of acircuit. In one example, when the display screen moves from a firstposition to a second position a circuit is dosed resulting in a currentflow. In one embodiment, the sensor could be a current sensing devicewhich detects current flow when the hinge reaches the second position.In another example, the background control sensor could be any sensorthat detects rotation, such as a rotary encoder. In one example, therotation sensing device coupled to the hinge or bezel of the displaysenses when the display is at a first or second position oralternatively is moved from a first or second position.

As previously stated and as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B in one embodiment thepredefined common usage assumption is that when the user changes theposition of the display screen, the user wants to change the operationalmode. In a second alternative embodiment, the user indicates that hewishes to change the operational mode by placing an object behind thedisplay screen. For example, a user operating the display screen in anoperational mode that has an opaque background screen could indicate theintent to switch to a transparent background screen by placing an object(such as a keyboard, etc.) behind the display screen.

Referring to FIG. 3 shows a perspective back view of the display systemshown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention where thesensors 114 a, 114 b can be more clearly seen. In one embodiment,sensors 114 a, 114 b act as background control sensors. The informationsensed from sensors 114 a, 114 b from the back surface 158 of thedisplay screen 112 provide information about whether the user haspositioned a device or other object behind the display screen indicatingthe desire to change to the thru-screen mode (transparent backgroundscreen). In other words, if a display screen is in a mode which requiresan opaque background and an object is positioned behind the displayscreen, the display screen would automatically change to a transparentscreen.

As previously stated, the type of sensors used for the backgroundcontrol sensors 114 depends upon the type of interaction that the sensoris required to sense or detect. In this example, the background controlsensors should be able to detect an object positioned behind the displayscreen. In one embodiment, the background control sensors 114 a, 114 bare motion sensors which detect movement of an object behind the screen.In another alternative embodiment, the background control sensors 114 a,114 b could be an image capture devices. In one embodiment, imageanalysis software is used to detect changes from the previous imageframes or in an alternatively is used to identify the type of objectpositioned behind the display screen. In one embodiment, the backgroundcontrol sensor can detect the addition or removal of an object frombehind the display screen. For example, a camera with a capture regioncovering the region behind the display screen could be used for todetect the addition or removal of an object from behind the displayscreen. Thus in one embodiment, for example, an object being removedfrom behind the display screen could indicate that the user wished toreturn to the viewing mode or other mode where an opaque backgrounddisplay screen would be desirable.

In one embodiment the predefined common usage assumption upon which thepredetermined background screen control conditions are based, is thatwhen the user touches the back surface of the display (including thedisplay screen and/or the frame of the display) that the user wants tointeract with the display screen in the thru-screen operational mode(transparent display screen background). For example, a user operatingthe display screen in an operational mode that has an opaque backgroundscreen could indicate the intent to switch to a transparent backgroundscreen by touching the back surface 158 of the display screen or bytouching the back of the frame 154 of the display screen.

As previously stated, the type of sensors used for the backgroundcontrol sensors 114 depends upon the type of interaction that the sensoris required to sense or detect. In this example, the background controlsensors should be able to detect touch of the back surface of thedisplay screen or display screen frame. In one embodiment, thebackground control sensors 114 are a plurality of sensors embedded inthe bezel 154 around the entire periphery of the display screen thatcapable of detecting touch on the back surface 158 the display screensurface. In another alternative embodiment, the background controlsensor could be a plurality of image capture device which captures aplurality of images behind the display screen surface. Image analysissoftware is used to determine when an object (including the user's hand)makes physical contact with the display screen.

In the embodiment where the background screen changes based on touchingthe back surface of the display screen, the user might be touching theback surface of the display screen frame merely to adjust the positionof the display screen and not to change the operational mode. In oneembodiment, an additional check may be made to verify that the intentwas to change the mode and thus the background screen—and not just toadjust the position. For example, in one embodiment there may be sensorscapable of sensing touch both on the bezel of the front surface of thedisplay and the bezel on the back surface the display screen. In oneembodiment, if both the back and front touch sensitive sensors on thebezel indicate that a touch has occurred, then it is assumed that theuser is adjusting the display stand position. If only the sensor on theback bezel of the display screen indicates touch, then it is assumedthat the user wished to interact in the thru screen mode with atransparent screen background.

As previously stated, the background screen control component 118 can beset by system or user controlled instructions that set background screenconditions of the background screen control component. In some cases,the user could set his preferences or additional preferences forautomatically switching between background modes. For example, inaddition to turning on the transparent mode by touching the back of thescreen, touch could be used to turn off the transparent mode. In effect,touch could be used as an off/switch for a given background screen. Forinstance, a first touch on the back display screen bezel 154 couldindicate that the user wishes to change to the thru-screen mode(transparent screen). A second touch on the back bezel of the displayscreen could indicate that the user wishes to change back to theoriginal background screen. This could be useful when the user is in amode that is uses an opaque background (i.e., displaying video), andwants to change to a transparent screen in order to interact with anobject behind the screen. In an alternative embodiment, the user whomight for example often interact with an opaque screen in the viewingmode, might indicate that he wishes to interact with a transparentbackground screen by touching the front surface of the display screenbezel a predetermined number of times.

In one embodiment, instead of a physical user interaction with thedisplay by the user, the user interacts with a user interface thatcontrols the background screen mode. In one embodiment, the userinterface is an icon displayed on the display screen. For example, theicon could be a picture of a display with a dear or lighter coloreddisplay screen representing the transparent background mode and a darkercolored display screen representing the opaque background mode.Alternatively, the display screen icon could represent a transparentbackground mode when an outline of the display frame is shown and theopaque background mode when the outline of the display frame is shownand in addition the display screen filled in . In one embodiment, theuser's selection (clicking on the icon), could change the backgroundscreen to correspond to the background screen selected by the icon. Inan alternative embodiment, the user interface is a pulldown menu wherethe user selects a transparent screen or transparent screen based on theuser's desired mode of operation. In an alternative embodiment, the userinterface is a button embedded in the frame of the display that ispressed in or released (on/off) to change background screen modes.

As previously discussed in some cases, the background screen is chosenindirectly by interpreting the sensed user physical interactions. Inthis case, common usage assumptions are associated with backgroundscreen control conditions 136 stored in the background screen controlcomponent 118. If background screen control conditions are sensed (forexample, hinge movement), then based on the control conditions sensedand the background screen mode associated with it, a background screenis selected. In another case, instead of indirectly choosing thebackground screen based on the user's physical actions, the user selectsthe background screen mode directly using a background screen controluser interface 141. For example, by simply clicking on the transparentscreen icon, the user can change the background screen mode.

Referring to FIG. 1 shows a background screen control user interface141, In one embodiment, based on the user selected background screenmode, the background screen is selected. For example, as previouslydiscussed the user could select an icon representing the desirablebackground screen or use a pulldown menu to select the desiredbackground screen. The user uses the background screen control userinterface 141 to directly select whether the background screen istransparent or opaque.

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a method of controlling the backgroundscreen display mode based on interaction with the display according toan embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4 shows the steps of:determining whether a predefined interaction with a display hasoccurred, wherein the display is capable of displaying at least a firstbackground screen and a second background screen (step 410); anddetermining whether the predefined interaction with the display meetsthe background control conditions, wherein responsive to meeting thebackground control conditions, the background screen corresponding tothe predefined conditions is displayed (steps 412, 414).

FIG. 5 shows a computer system for implementing the methods shown inFIG. 4 and described in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. It should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat the method 400 represents generalized illustrations and that othersteps may be added or existing steps may be removed, modified orrearranged without departing from the scopes of the method 400. Thedescriptions of the method 400 are made with reference to the system 100illustrated in FIG. 1 and the system 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 and thusrefers to the elements cited therein, It should, however, be understoodthat the method 400 is not limited to the elements set forth in thesystem 500. Instead, it should be understood that the method 400 may bepracticed by a system having a different configuration than that setforth in the system 500.

Some or all of the operations set forth in the method 400 may becontained as utilities, programs or subprograms, in any desired computeraccessible medium. In addition, the method 400 may be embodied bycomputer programs, which may exist in a variety of forms both active andinactive. For example, they may exist as software program(s) comprisedof program instructions in source code, object code, executable code orother formats. Any of the above may be embodied on a computer readablemedium, which include storage devices and signals, in compressed oruncompressed form.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a computing apparatus 500configured to implement or execute the methods 400 depicted in FIG. 4,according to an example. In this respect, the computing apparatus 400may be used as a platform for executing one or more of the functionsdescribed hereinabove with respect to the display controller component130.

The computing apparatus 500 includes one or more processor(s) 502 thatmay implement or execute some or all of the steps described in themethods 400. Commands and data from the processor 502 are communicatedover a communication bus 504. The computing apparatus 500 also includesa main memory 506, such as a random access memory (RAM), where theprogram code for the processor 502, may be executed during runtime, anda secondary memory 508. The secondary memory 508 includes, for example,one or more hard drives 510 and/or a removable storage drive 512,representing a removable flash memory card, etc., where a copy of theprogram code for the method 500 may be stored. The removable storagedrive 512 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 514 in awell-known manner.

These methods, functions and other steps may be embodied as machinereadable instructions stored on one or more computer readable mediums,which may be non-transitory. Exemplary non-transitory computer readablestorage devices that may be used to implement the present inventioninclude but are not limited to conventional computer system RAM, ROM,EPROM, EEPROM, hard drives, flash memory and magnetic or optical disksor tapes. Concrete examples of the foregoing include distribution of theprograms on a CD ROM or via Internet download.

Although shown stored on main memory 506, any of the memory componentsdescribed 506, 508, 514 may also store an operating system 530, such asMac OS, MS Windows, Unix, or Linux; network applications 532; and adisplay controller component 130. The operating system 530 may bemulti-participant, multiprocessing, multitasking, multithreading,real-time and the like. The operating system 530 may also perform basictasks such as recognizing input from input devices, such as a keyboardor a keypad; sending output to the display 112 controlling peripheraldevices, such as disk drives, printers, image capture device; andmanaging traffic on the one or more buses 504. The network applications532 includes various components for establishing and maintaining networkconnections, such as software for implementing communication protocolsincluding TCP/IP, HTTP, Ethernet, USB, and FireWire.

The computing apparatus 500 may also include an input devices 516, suchas a keyboard, a keypad, functional keys, etc., a pointing device, suchas a tracking ball, cursors, etc., and a display(s) 110, such as thedisplay 110 shown for example in FIGS. 1-3. A display adaptor 522 mayinterface with the communication bus 504 and the display 112 and mayreceive display data from the processor 502 and convert the display datainto display commands for the display 520.

The processor(s) 502 may communicate over a network, for instance, acellular network, the Internet, LAN, etc., through one or more networkinterfaces 524 such as a Local Area Network LAN, a wireless 802.11x LAN,a 3G mobile WAN or a WiMax WAN. In addition, an interface 526 may beused to receive an image or sequence of images from imaging components528 such as the image capture device.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specificdetails are not required in order to practice the invention. Theforegoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present inventionare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive of or to limit the invention to the preciseforms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments are shown anddescribed in order to best explain the principles of the invention andits practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the artto best utilize the invention and various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It isintended that the scope of the invention be defined by the followingclaims and their equivalents:

1. A display system comprising: a display, the display including adisplay screen for operating in at least a first background screen modeand a second background screen mode; at least one background screencontrol sensor for sensing a physical user interaction with the display;and a background screen control component for processing backgroundcontrol sensor data from the at least one background screen controlsensor, wherein based on the background control sensor data, adetermination is made as to whether a background screen controlcondition has been met, wherein responsive to the determination that thebackground screen control condition has been met, the background of thedisplay screen is changed.
 2. The display system recited in claim 1wherein when the display is in the first background screen mode, thedisplay screen displays an opaque background and the when the display isin the second background screen mode, the display screen displays atransparent background.
 3. The display system recited 1 wherein theinteraction with the display is touching the back surface of the displayscreen.
 4. The display system recited 1 wherein the interaction with thedisplay is placing an object within the capture region behind the backsurface of the display screen.
 5. The display system recited in claim Iwherein the display screen is movable to a first screen position and asecond screen position.
 6. The display system recited in claim 5 whereinthe interaction with display is moving the display screen between thefirst screen position and the second screen position.
 7. A methodexecuted on a processor, the method comprising the steps of: capturingbackground screen control sensor data from at least one sensor forsensing interaction with a display, the display including a displayscreen for operating in at least a first background screen mode and asecond background screen mode: and determining based on the capturedbackground screen control sensor data whether a background screencontrol condition has been met, wherein responsive to the determinationthat the background screen control condition has been met, thebackground of the display screen is changed.
 8. The method recited ireclaim 7 wherein when the display is in the first background screen mode,the display screen displays an opaque background and the when thedisplay is in the second background screen mode, the display screendisplays a transparent background.
 9. The method recited 7 wherein theinteraction with the display is touching the back surface of the displayscreen.
 10. The method recited 7 wherein the interaction with thedisplay is placing an object within the capture region behind the backsurface of the display screen.
 11. The method recited in claim 7 whereinthe display screen is movable to a first screen position and a secondscreen position.
 12. The method recited in claim 7 wherein theinteraction with display is moving the display screen between the firstscreen position and the second screen position.
 13. A non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium having computer readable programinstructions stored thereon for causing a computer system to perform amethod, the method comprising the steps of: capturing background screencontrol sensor data from at least one sensor for sensing interactionwith a display, the display including a display screen for operating inat least a first background screen mode and a second background screenmode; and determining based on the captured background screen controlsensor data whether a background screen control condition has been met,wherein responsive to the determination that the background screencontrol condition has been met, the background of the display screen ischanged.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium recitedin claim 13 wherein when the display is in the first background screenmode, the display screen displays an opaque background and the when thedisplay is in the second background screen mode, the display screendisplays a transparent background.
 15. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium recited in claim 13 wherein the display screenis movable to a first screen position and a second screen position,wherein the interaction with display is moving the display screenbetween the first screen position and the second screen position.
 16. Adisplay system comprising: a display, the display including at least adisplay screen for operating in at least a first opaque backgroundscreen mode and a second transparent background screen mode; and abackground screen user interface control for controlling the backgroundscreen mode, wherein responsive to a user selection, the backgroundscreen changes to the selected background screen mode.